Hulk Tango could only muster a puzzled grunt as a response.

Atomic Bat, who was equally as perplexed as Hulk Tango, tried to reason with the uninvited director.

“This isn’t some movie. It’s a real fight!” She pointed at Doomsayer, who was also paused in his actions, but his face was expressionless as he observed. “That’s a real villain! And we’re TRYING to really save the city here! So if you don’t min—”

But Snyder was undeterred, lost in his own vision. “Imagine it: a beautiful, gritty, slow-motion shot right here, as the camera pans around all of this chaos! Then, we focus on our heroes, the ever brave Atomic Bat, and her mindless muscle bound sidekick, Hulk Tango!”

“Hulk Tango?” Atomic Bat interjected, “no, no, his name is Blue—”

Before Atomic Bat could correct Snyder on Blue Tango’s name, Doomsayer’s patience ran out. With a swift, fluid motion, almost cinematic in its execution, Doomsayer reached out and grabbed Snyder by his collar.

“Enough of this nonsense,” Doomsayer growled as he effortlessly flung Snyder high into the sky, dismissing the bewildered director with the ease of a child throwing a doll.

“On it!” Atomic Bat shouted as she quickly fired her grappling gun skyward. With a powerful thrust, Atomic Bat propelled herself upwards, soaring through the air with the speed of a bat.

Down below, Hulk Tango and Doomsayer's eyes locked in a silent but fierce standoff, each waiting for the other to make the next move.

As Snyder descended rapidly towards the ground, Atomic Bat quickly closed the distance, reaching out and grabbing him just in time. The director clung tightly to Atomic Bat as they swung up to a nearby rooftop. “Stay out of sight until we handle him.” Said Atomic Bat as she gently sat Mr. Snyder on his feet. He mumbled his thanks in shock, still unable to comprehend the reality of the situation.

Atomic Bat, without a word, turned her gaze back toward the battle.

Then, Doomsayer fired.

A beam of concentrated energy erupted from his arm cannon, striking Hulk Tango in the heart with the force of a thunderbolt.

The hulking blue figure was sent flying through the air, an unstoppable projectile that crashed into a nearby building with such force that one side crumbled as if it were made of sand.

As the dust settled and the screams of startled citizens filled the air, Doomsayer's laughter echoed through the streets, a sound devoid of any humanity. "Look on the bright side, when I'm done with you tonight, you won't have to suffer the indignity of being thrashed by Mark Flynn and Bobby Bourbon."

His laughter boomed and seemed to shake the very ground.

The Atomic Bat glared at the towering menace as she prepared for the inevitable clash. She knew she couldn't match Doomsayer's brute force, but what she lacked in power, she made up for with cunning and agility.

With a fierce determination, she launched herself into the fray, using the chaos of the crumbling city as her arsenal. She sent a barrage of debris hurtling towards Doomsayer, cars twisted into metal projectiles and shattered concrete as sharp as daggers.

Doomsayer deflected each assault with an amused snarl, his arm cannon obliterating the projectiles with bursts of energy. But Atomic Bat refused to let up, darting between the shadows, her silhouette a flickering wraith against the fires that raged around them.

In the heat of battle, she misjudged her distance, and with a momentary lapse, she soared too close to the dark titan. With a swift motion, Doomsayer struck, his hand swatting Atomic Bat from the sky like a pesky insect. She hit the ground with a thud, the air knocked from her lungs.

As she struggled to rise, Doomsayer loomed over her, his shadow engulfing her form. "Is this the best the vaunted Atomic Bat can muster? I was hoping that you had a trick or two up your sleeve like your blue friend. How disappointing," he mocked, raising his cannon for the kill shot.

Atomic Bat coughed, the taste of blood and dust mingling on her tongue. She met Doomsayer's gaze, her own eyes defiant. "I never disappoint", she whispered, and in the blink of an eye, her body dissolved into a shadowy black mist, dispersing into the night just as Doomsayer's cannon fired a blinding beam of light.

The blast tore through the space where she had lain, scorching the earth and leaving a crater in the pavement.

Doomsayer watched with a smug satisfaction, believing his victory was at hand. But his triumph was short-lived.

The mist reconvened behind him, and Atomic Bat's voice emerged from the darkness. "I think your batteries need recharging," she taunted.

Doomsayer whirled around, his confusion clear. "Impossible! How did you—"

"No matter," he growled, dismissing the question. With a snarl, he fired his cannon again, the energy crackling with deadly intent.

But the Atomic Bat was already in motion, leaping high over the beam. In her hand, she wielded a spool of tactical twine—infused with a special alloy capable of withstanding Doomsayer's energy blasts. She cast it with the precision of a seasoned cowboy, the twine ensnaring the cannon's barrel and yanking it towards Doomsayer's face.

The villain had only a fraction of a second to register shock before his own weapon's blast was redirected, engulfing him in a blinding light. The explosion rocked the area, sending a shockwave that shattered windows for blocks around.

The blast that should have been a death knell for any other adversary merely rocked Doomsayer back on his heels. As the smoke cleared, his form emerged from the haze, his armor charred but intact. Atomic Bat's heart sank as she watched the behemoth right himself, his cannon arm damaged but his will unbroken.

She felt a surge of despair. If such a direct hit couldn't stop him, what could? She pushed the thought away, focusing on the battle, knowing hesitation would be her end.

The fight resumed with Atomic Bat drawing on every reserve of strength and skill she possessed. She danced around Doomsayer's attacks, striking where she could, her attacks were like chipping away at a mountain with a spoon.

Doomsayer, seemingly invigorated by the challenge, retaliated with a renewed ferocity. He cornered her and struck with the might of a falling skyscraper.

Atomic Bat's defenses began to crumble under the onslaught. With every move she made, Doomsayer was there, anticipating, countering, punishing. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, her limbs heavy with exhaustion. She knew she couldn't keep this up much longer.

Finally, with a powerful backhand, Doomsayer sent Atomic Bat skidding across the ground. She tried to rise, but her body wouldn't obey. She looked up at Doomsayer looming over her, the finality in his stance clear.

"This ends now," Doomsayer declared as he charged his arm cannon for the kill shot. Atomic Bat could only watch, her body bruised and her spirit flagging, as Doomsayer prepared to end it.

He sneered down at her. "Once you and that overgrown blue brute are out of the way, there will be no one left," he gloated. "No one is foolish enough to stand against me. No one to thwart my will. This city and all its trembling citizens will bow to my power. You have fought valiantly, hero, but all things must end, and your time is now."

He raised his arm, the damaged cannon somehow still operational, humming with the buildup of another lethal shot. The glow of impending doom reflected in her eyes as he prepared to fire on the hero.

But the villain was cut abruptly short as, from the corner of his eye, he caught the glint of metal soaring through the air—another refrigerator came crashing into him with the element of surprise.

From the heart of the devastated building, a roar erupted. Hulk Tango, fueled by both fury and desperation, exploded from the pile of debris.



He launched himself at Doomsayer once more.

The two titans collided, their battle resuming with renewed ferocity.

Hulk Tango's blows rained down upon Doomsayer, each punch a seismic event.

Doomsayer fought back with the precision of a war machine, his arm cannon blazing as he tried to fend off the assault and line up a shot.

Hulk Tango matched Doomsayer blow for blow. With every exchange, Hulk Tango forced Doomsayer further from Atomic Bat, leading him towards the bay, where one way or another, the final act of their epic struggle would unfold.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Atomic Bat pushed herself to her feet, her body protesting every movement. She watched as Hulk Tango traded devastating blows with Doomsayer, their figures diminishing into the distance as they headed toward the bay.

"Good luck, Tango," she whispered. "Hold on just a little longer. I'll be right there."

She knew that Tango's strength would give them a fighting chance, but she also recognized that their strategy needed to be flawless if they were to survive. With the battle moving towards the water's edge, Atomic Bat needed to regroup and come back with reinforcements.

With a last look at the path of destruction left by the battling behemoths, Atomic Bat raised her arm and fired her grappling gun into the sky. The hook found its mark, and with a powerful yank, she was airborne, soaring out of the scene.

As the wind rushed past her, she focused on her destination: Commissioner Jim Jordan. She needed to alert the authorities to the danger, to ensure the safety of the city's inhabitants, and to rally any support that she could.

---

Grand City PD

---

Commissioner Jim Jordan stood tensely on the rooftop, his gaze fixed on the skyline, illuminated by the chaos that raged through the city. His attention snapped to Atomic Bat as she landed gracefully beside him.

"Commissioner, we need to—" Atomic Bat began, but stopped abruptly as a familiar, grating voice interrupted her.

*COUGH HACK* “Welcome to the grand climax of my master plan, Batsy!" The Smoker emerged from the shadows.

Atomic Bat's eyes narrowed in suspicion and disdain. "Smoker, what have you done?"

The Smoker's laugh was a dry rasp. "While you heroes were distracted with your little scuffle, I've been busy executing the perfect heist. All the city's tobacco, ripe for the taking. And to ensure no interference from our dear Police Department, I've set a little... surprise."

Commissioner Jordan's expression turned from concern to outright alarm. "You're insane!"

Atomic Bat, unfazed, retorted with a hint of mockery, "Do you know a guy named Bobby Bourbon?"

The Smoker's face contorted in confusion. "Bourbon? No! Why does that matter?"

"Because your plan is about as solid as something he’d cook up in his lab. A disaster waiting to happen."

Enraged, The Smoker lunged toward Commissioner Jordan, who narrowly dodged, his years of experience in the field kicking in.

Atomic Bat leapt into action.

She engaged The Smoker, trading blows with the crazed villain.

But mid-fight, Atomic Bat's heightened senses caught the faint whiff of explosives. Her eyes widened as she realized the true extent of The Smoker's plan. "This roof is rigged to blow!"

Commissioner Jordan looked around frantically, assessing their options. "We need to evacuate now!"

Amidst their frantic planning, The Smoker, with a twisted grin, coughed out his victory. "Too late! My plan is already in motion. This building, and everyone in it, is going up in flames! HAHAhahahah *COUGH HACK* hahaha"

Atomic Bat, quick to react, grabbed Commissioner Jordan, "We need to get out of here. Now!"

But before they could make their move, the explosives detonated.

A blinding light enveloped the rooftop, followed by a thunderous explosion that rocked the entire building.



Atomic Bat was flung into the air, her body hurtling through the smoke and debris.

As she tumbled from the sky, her mind raced. Had Commissioner Jordan managed to escape? What about The Smoker?

Her body crashed onto the street below with a bone-jarring impact.

Dazed, injured, but alive, Atomic Bat lay amidst the rubble, the sounds of sirens and chaos echoing around her.

Atomic Bat, disoriented and reeling from the impact, pushed herself up from the debris-strewn street.

She scanned the area, searching frantically for Commissioner Jim Jordan amidst the chaos and wreckage.

"Commissioner!" she called out, her voice cutting through the noise of sirens and distant screams. Her keen eyes spotted a figure partially buried under rubble.

Rushing over, she found Commissioner Jordan, his body gruesomely burned. His breathing was shallow, his eyes flickering with pain.

"Jim!" Atomic Bat exclaimed, her voice laced with concern. She knelt beside him, assessing his injuries with a trained eye. She knew he needed immediate medical attention.

At that moment, the wail of an ambulance approached, and EMTs rushed out.

Atomic Bat waved them over. "Here! He needs help, now!"

The EMTs quickly assessed the situation as other emergency personnel arrived onto the scene. They began carefully extricating Commissioner Jordan from the rubble. As they placed him on a stretcher, one of the EMTs turned to Atomic Bat.

"We'll take it from here. He's in bad shape, but we'll do everything we can."

Atomic Bat nodded, her expression somber. "Thank you. Please, save him," she implored.

As the ambulance doors closed, sirens blaring, Atomic Bat stood amidst the rubble.



The weight of the night's events pressed heavily on her. Commissioner Jordan, a man who had always stood by her side in the fight for justice, now lay at death's door. The Smoker, a villain whose madness knew no bounds, had succeeded in his twisted plan. And the police that she was to rely on, gone the way of the Heroes Guild.

For a moment, Atomic Bat allowed herself to feel the full brunt of the night's toll.

Maybe she WAS just a naive kid playing hero.

Maybe she HAD caused more harm than good by taking up the fight for justice.

The doubts lingered in her despair, but she couldn't allow them to consume her. There was still a battle to be fought, a city to be saved. Blue Tango was out there, facing Doomsayer alone, and she had to rejoin him. With or without reinforcements, she had to continue the fight.

---

ELSEWHERE

---

The battle between Doomsayer and Hulk Tango raged on.

Hulk Tango and Doomsayer exchanged blows back and forth and bounced off buildings from side-to-side down First Avenue in the center of Grand City! 

It appeared to be an even match-up as they went head-to-head, however, looking closer it seemed like Hulk Tango was giving it his all with every blow while Doomsayer deflected each blow with relative ease. 

The frustration grew in Hulk Tango with every failed attempt to take down the foe. 

And as his frustration grew, his strength did as well!

Hulk Tango rushed the villain again and gave it everything he had!  Doomsayer gasped as each body blow took a little bit of breath away. 

Tango stretched back and landed a headbutt between Doomsayer's eyes that even he would've admitted made him cross-eyed for a second.  Feeling like he was capitalizing, Hulk Tango flexed and roared to his foe!

"DIE!!"  Hulk Tango screamed in a mix of fury and determination!

He jumped forward with a double-axe handle looking to crush Doomsayer, but the evil-doer tightened up and a bright red orb-like force-field formed around him, shielding him from the blow and sending Hulk Tango flying back!

Hulk Tango growled and immediately jumped back up to his feet!  He rushed Doomsayer once more and leaped in the air aiming for a Superman Punch when the same thing happened again!

Doomsayer tuckered down and a red force-field acted like a rubber bouncy-bumper and sent Hulk Tango soaring back several feet like before. 

Without learning his lesson and letting his frustration and anger get the best of him, Hulk Tango rushed him again, but Atomic Bat swooped down and stopped him along the way! 

“Tango, wait!” she exclaimed. “Brute force alone isn’t going to be enough to defeat him. We need to be smart. We need to work together!”

Hulk Tango looked at her with eyes burning with anger and determination, but through it all, he understood his partner loud and clear and nodded letting her know.

However, their brief moment of strategy was violently interrupted as Doomsayer launched an attack, hurling a barrage of energy blasts at them. The two heroes went on the defensive, dodging and weaving through the onslaught.

Realizing that they needed to take the offensive, Atomic Bat signaled Hulk Tango with a quick nod.

Atomic Bat and Hulk Tango launched a relentless assault on Doomsayer. Atomic Bat, lightning fast, zipped around him, landing a flurry of blows and striking from every angle.

Meanwhile, Hulk Tango unleashed a barrage of devastating punches, each one landing with the force of a fifty-pound sledgehammer.

Doomsayer, caught off guard by their synergy (As has been every duo to face them in the ring-Stan) retaliated with energy blasts, but Atomic Bat was a ghost amid the chaos. She was everywhere at once, darting and weaving through the energy storm.

With Doomsayer preoccupied with her, Hulk Tango roared with fury and charged like a juggernaut, delivering a thunderous uppercut, catapulting Doomsayer into a nearby building, which crumbled upon impact.

Regrouping, Atomic Bat and Hulk Tango prepared for another strike.

Doomsayer was visibly shaken as his red force field began to flicker.



The tide was turning.

As Doomsayer struggled to his feet, a glint of crimson caught Atomic Bat’s eye. From a crack in his armor, a red emerald amulet pulsated with a sinister energy.

“Look, Tango!” Atomic Bat shouted while pointing at the amulet. “That gen must be the source of his power!”

The glistening red amulet struck Hulk Tango's eye and he targeted it.  He charged forward and aimed for a punch across the chest!  Doomsayer saw it coming a mile away and stood steadfast, ready for the blow!  As he blocked the blast from Tango, Atomic Bat flung in a Batarang that tinged off of the amulet!  Doomsayer growled and whipped his head around to the Atomic Bat, who stood:

Superhero Pose: ENGAGED!

"Little bug…  I will crush–"

As Doomsayer was distracted, Hulk Tango landed a haymaker across the villain's face knocking him from his stance!  The Atomic Bat quickly followed up with another batarang, followed by another!  Then another as Hulk Tango is relentless with his own fury of attacks!  Each batarang, *tinking* off of the gem attached to Doomsayer's chest…  Slowly loosening it with every hit.

Doomsayer, finally reeling back from the attacks, yelled out and in a last ditch effort of energy to let out a blast that sent Hulk Tango and the Atomic Bat soaring back away from him in a blinding light.

"YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

When everything finally came back into focus, the Atomic Bat was the first to her feet.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and as the rest of her vision returned, she found herself staring across the battlefield at Doomsayer, who was worse for wear himself.  The big bad held his wounds and breathed deep.

"You know you can't win," he said, smiling from a distance at the hero.  "You've never known what a true challenge is.  When you're faced with one…  Just look at what happens.  Your city burns.  Your world crumbles.  You lose."

Atomic Bat looked to her right and saw Hulk Tango about half of the size he was before…  Still bigger than normal, but not Hulk Tango-size.

“You think this is about winning or losing? You’re so lost in your own twisted narrative that you can’t see the truth. This isn’t some game. It’s not about points, scores, or petty victories. It’s about standing up to the darkness that threatens to engulf everything that we hold dear.”

“You talk about true challenges? You, Doomsayer, are nothing more than a bully, a tyrant who revels in destruction and chaos. You underestimate us. You underestimate the strength—”

Doomsayer yawned.

"How noble," he mocked while cracking his knuckles.  "Shall we get on with this?"

The villain chuckled, making it very noticeable as he glanced over to a banged up half-hulked up Blue Tango.  Atomic Bat, with no other obvious option, quickly decided to huddle up.

She ran over to Tango who was just now coming to, still a bit on the Hulk-side of things.

"Tango!"  Atomic Bat said, sitting by his side.  "Are you alright?!"

"TIRED…"  Semi-Hulk Tango whined.

The Atomic Bat was having none of it and landed a leather gloved slap to the side of his still-bluish face.

"Snap out of it, dude!  Look!"  Atomic Bat pointed behind her.  "We have him!  We.  Have.  Him.  You need to…  I dunno…  Get big and bad again?"

"TIRED!"  Semi-Hulk Tango demanded.

"Come on, come on, come on!"

Doomsayer stood by, amused as he watched his opposition squirm.  The Atomic Bat looked deep into Tango's eyes.

"Tango…  You have to get up.  Toxicity…"

Tango looked with the first sign of humanity back in his face.  He looked confused, as if to ask…  What of her, AB?

"I…  I think she sacrificed herself.  She sacrificed herself for us, Tango.  To give us a chance."

Tango grimaced.

"Enough of this!"  Doomsayer announced and readied himself for an attack.

"We have…  TO FIGHT!"

He brought his fist up and slammed it against the ground!  By the time it hit the ground it was three times its normal size again and that spread the rest of the way throughout Tango's body and he was Hulk Tango again!

The Atomic Bat leaped backwards, evading the attack from Doomsayer!  He immediately spun around and swung at Hulk Tango, but it was blocked and answered with Tango reaching for the glowing red emerald embedded in his chest!  Doomsayer backhand chopped Tango across the shoulder, breaking his grasp, and swatted at Atomic Bat as she swooped in for her own attack!  She took the full blow, but managed to catch herself falling back and flipped around landing on her feet.  Doomsayer quickly turned to Tango and booted him in the chest knocking him back!

Doomsayer wasn't desperate, but was very aware of his situation.  The odds were beginning to turn against him.  The heroes worked well in tangent, and they had a target.  Not so much his weakness, but his strength.  And it all lied in the amulet fastened tightly within his chest.  If it would come dislodged, every ounce of his power would be lost.  He reached up and discreetly patted the red gem against his chest, checking its security.

"Keeping going!  We've got him on his heels!"

Hulk Tango rushed once more and entered a fire fight with Doomsayer, lefts and rights and kicks…  Blow after blow was like a clap of thunder on top of each other.  The Atomic Bat looked for a better angle of attack when she almost ran straight into Harlot, who was armed to the teeth with a rocket launcher.

"Harlot?!  What..?  Where did you get that?"

"I found it!"  Harlot said, throwing it up on her shoulder.

The Atomic Bat looked concerned.

"Oh, no worries.  It's not the first rocket I've lau–"

Before she could finish the sentence, Harlot pulled the trigger and launched a rocket straight towards Doomsayer and Hulk Tango.

"Harlot, no!"

The rocket flew over Hulk Tango's shoulder then was deflected away by Doomsayer with a block from his forearm.  The rocket struck the side of a building, taking part of it out and leaving the rest of the structure holding on by a thread.

"Aw!  Almost had him!"

Atomic Bat snatched the weapon from Harlot

"You almost hit Tango!"

Hulk Tango and Doomsayer continue wrestling in the background, with Doomsayer with the slight upper hand once again.  Doomsayer grabbed a large piece of concrete from the building that just blew apart and held it high above his head!  As he went to throw it at Tango, a black whip wrapped around his wrist and restricted its motion, causing him to drop the rock.  When he looked back, he found his wrist tied off to a light post.  He growled and pulled his wrist hard, pulling the light post out of the ground, as well.

Pusswhipped then landed from above between Harlot and the Atomic Bat.

"Are you two just going to stand around?  Or are you going to do something?"

Atomic Bat was lost for words, surprised to see the cat able to join them in the fight.

"Pusswhipped…  Are you?  Are you cool?"

"As a cucumber, AB....  You owe me a life."

Atomic Bat couldn't hold back a smile.

"I'll see what I can do."

Doomsayer was currently going to town with his fists on Hulk Tango's face when the three heroine's approached and stood together.

"Doomsayer!  This is it!"

The big bad stopped the beating and only slightly turned his head.

"Are you still there, little bug?"  He said with fake disbelief.

Doomsayer rose to his feet and met the gaze of the three.

"This is it, isn't it?"

A tear of fear, confidence, adrenaline…  You name it, trickled once down the side of the Atomic Bat's cheek.  She didn't clear her throat.  She didn't have to.

"Yeah."

Harlot pulled the rocket launcher up again and immediately fired a shot at Doomsayer which he just took to the chest.  It hurt him, but not bad.  She went straight back to work reloading the thing from a bag of rockets she somehow had in her possession now.

Pussywhipped disappeared, out of sight, into the shadows.

The Atomic Bat faced Doomsayer, once again, head-on!

She rushed in for an attack and as Doomsayer mockingly readied himself, Hulk Tango entered the scene and landed a punch to the side of his head!  It caught the baddie off guard and allowed the Atomic Bat to make her own attack!  She swarmed Doomsayer with a fury of attacks at lightning speed…  Doomsayer's defenses aren't as they were before as they've worn on him over time!  Harlot yelled from the side-line!

"PULL!"

Atomic Bat looked behind her then quickly realized and flipped backwards out of the way as a rocket flew past her and into Doomsayer!

That one hit him square in the chest and he finally let out a groan of sweet agony!  Hulk Tango went behind Doomsayer and grabbed him!  He reached around his chest and began pulling at the amulet again!  Doomsayer groaned some more and flailed around trying to break free!  Pusswhipped appeared and planted a few tiny bombs on Doomsayer as well as quick little arm lasso's to restrain him.  None had a serious effect, but had an effect nonetheless.

The Atomic Bat looked to Harlot who was pulling out another rocket from the bag.  The two made eye-contact.

"Last one!"  Harlot yelled.

Atomic Bat looked at the situation.  Tango was nearly an even match with Doomsayer, but not, and even with the rest of the gang it's been a struggle to take him down.  Tango had about two seconds to decide to rush in or…

"Shoot!"

Harlot took aim and fired again, nailing Doomsayer right in the stomach!  The blast sent Doomsayer and Tango soaring back and through the wall of a building!

…



…



There's a short moment of silence.


A moment of silence until a roar was heard from the building and Doomsayer emerged from the opening!

"You fools!  You cannot defeat me!  You will never defeat me!  You will all…"

Harlot fired off another rocket and it soared straight for Doomsayer's head.  He reached up like a ninja and grabbed it out of the air and held it.

"Die."

He chuckled and admired the rocket, still flaring in his hand.

"I thought you were out?!"  Atomic Bat gasped.

"I yelled that because I wanted them to think that!  Why do you think I winked?!"

"I didn't see you wink!"

Suddenly, from behind, Hulk Tango reached around his shoulder, grabbed a hold of the amulet in his chest and ripped it out.  Doomsayer took a long, deep breath and shriveled up a little bit.  The rocket then took control, and the two of them soared up into the sky until it exploded.

The Atomic Bat, Pusswhipped, Harlot, and Hulk Tango stood together staring up at the sky.  Tango with the amulet that was the apparent source of all of Doomsayer's power…  which…  they now had.

"So….  Is that it?  Is he dead?" Harlot finally broke the ice.

The silence was deafening within the group.  Atomic Bat looked at Tango, still hulked up.

"It's over."

Hulk Tango looked down at the amulet in his hand, pulsating red, and stared at it.  He didn't take his gaze from it and fell in love with it within a few seconds.  All he could think about was burying it in his forehead before the Atomic Bat placed a hand on his arm.

"Tango."

His eyes met hers.

"It's over."

She reached down and pulled the amulet out of his grasp and placed it into a small burlap sack for safe-keeping.

As they all still gathered their thoughts, Atomic Bat's bat phone began to ring.  She retrieved it from her utility belt and looked it over before answering.

"Jim?"

She listened for a moment.

"No, no, everything's fine, Jim.  Are…  Are you alright?  What?  Well…  Yes.  We have the amulet.  No, we literally just pulled it out of his chest.  Yep.  Yep."

The scene changed to a dark hospital room where Commissioner Jim Jordan stands in a fine suit.

"Perfect.  It's important that you get it to me as soon as possible."

"Jim…  Is everything alright?"

"Just bring it to me!"

His demeanor flipped.

"What?  Jim, are you SURE everything is alright?!"

"Yes, of course.  I must still be a little banged up, I'm sorry.  Not thinking straight…  You've done fine work Atomic Bat…  Grand City…  It wouldn't be safe without you."

"Get some rest, Jim.  You know you can trust us.  I'll touch base with you later."

Jim looked down at the phone and read the call had ended before sliding it into his inside jacket pocket.  A shadowy figure approached from the background and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder.  The commissioner turned around, revealing the other side of his face to be a hideous result of the explosion at the GCPD.  He looked over into the mirror, staring at his not-so-good side as the shadowy figure leaned in to reveal himself to be none other than the Smoker!

*COUGH!* "You know…  My grandmother always told me that smoking was such an UGLY habit…."  *COUGH!*  *WHEEEEZ!*  "But I told her…  It's allll about perspective, ya know?  Something someone else finds ugly…  Some else could find to be beau-ti-ful……"

"You smell like an ashtray…"

"And YOU look like you took a nap on a flaming hot skillet…  But!  That doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"

---

One day later…

---

The world had simmered down and Grand City had begun its reconstruction after the attack from Doomsayer.  For the first time in a long time, there was finally a sense of peace in the air.  At least in our heroes' eyes.

The headquarters was no more, but there's options out there.  Atomic Bat left her old place as the rainforest it became as kind-of a homage towards Toxicity after her sacrifice.  For at least as long as the city permits it, anyway.

Tango still had the powers Toxicity left him with.  At first when he got pissed off, it was easy for him to black-out and rage across town.  He accumulated some hefty fines along the way until Harlot came up with some "daily's" that could help him keep it together.

It's all up from here though.  With a breath of fresh air, the heroes will have a chance to rebuild their forces and maybe even another guild, who knows?  But in the meantime, a hero's work is never done…  especially for our heroes.

Time is closing in on another XWF Tag Team Title defense…  And if defending the world from the biggest of the bads isn't a way to prep for a couple of drawn together scrubs?  Tell me what is.  Riddle me this.

As always, the cliche rooftop!

The wind!

The city!

Our heroes!  Perched high above it, looking down….

Checking their work.

And like clockwork, the XWF drone floats down and swarms a little too close to the Atomic Bat's face before finding a comfortable spot a few feet away.

"Let's get one thing straight, Mark and Bobby. Your perception of us, of the tag team division, is as shallow as your theatrics are transparent. You talk a big game about reviving the division, about being the saviors we apparently so desperately need. But let's cut through the bravado and look at facts.”

“You speak of our reign, of our supposed lack of significant defenses, as if we are the architects of the division's downfall. You forget, conveniently, that we won these titles from Raion Kido and Jason Cashe, formidable opponents by any measure. Since then, we've stood at the top, not because we've turned away challengers, but because there have been so few brave—or foolish—enough to step up. The hotline doesn't ring often, but when it does, it's the same old story: blame the champions for the division's stagnation. But you know what? Maybe there's a kernel of truth in that. Perhaps our united front is indeed daunting, a deterrent for those looking to make a name for themselves.”

“But here's where you're glaringly wrong. You believe that capturing the belts from us will magically breathe life back into the division. You see, we've watched your reigns, we've observed the landscape during your times at the top. The division was dying then, just as you claim it is now. So tell me, how are you the solution when you were part of the problem?”

“And let's talk about your claim to respect, your so-called regard for what we've done. Respect isn't belittling accomplishments or reducing a team's efforts to mere participation trophies. Respect isn't rewriting history to paint yourselves as the valiant heroes coming to save the day. No, respect is about acknowledging the battles fought, the challenges faced, and the victories earned—regardless of how frequent or infrequent they may be.”

“You call us non-factors, zeros, but we've held these titles with pride. We've stood ready for every challenge, for every call to action. You talk about showing up when the signal's in the sky, but being a true champion, a true hero, is more than just answering calls. It's about setting a standard, about being the benchmark for excellence. We've done that, each day we hold these belts.”

“You want to talk about rejuvenating the tag team division? Then step up. Bring your best. But know this: it'll take more than flashy promos and self-aggrandizing speeches to take these titles from us. It'll take more than underestimating us and dismissing our reign as inconsequential. If you want these belts, if you truly want to be the change you so loudly proclaim to be, then prepare for the fight of your lives. Because we are Atomic Bat and Blue Tango, and we are not just champions by name. We are champions by nature, by heart, and by the sheer unrelenting force of our will.”

“So go ahead, keep talking. Keep planning your movie reboots and your grandiose entrances. But when that bell rings, and it's just us in that ring, no amount of rhetoric will save you from the reality you're about to face. And that reality is this: we are the tag team champions for a reason, and we're not going down without a fight that you'll remember for the rest of your careers."

Tango took a step, into the spotlight.

"From the uncomfortable first two minutes to the forced comradery later on, it was enough to make you sick, wasn't it?  I would've never guessed defending our XWF Tag Team Championship against two SOMEbody's like Bobby Bourbon and Mark Flynn would end up equal to absolutely nobody.  On paper, from the start, when Vinne Lane first announced it…  It sounded okay.  Kind of exciting.  A little sexy.  Mark Flynn is one of the most formidable opponents you could ask for, on paper, and Bobby Bourbon would likely take a balloon more seriously than a gun to his face.

So there's that.

And while Mark Flynn is that formidable opponent, he must be sniffing the same glue as Bobby because he followed that dummy into the same rerun he's been living for years.

That's right, Mark Flynn.  No parodies.  No reboots, either.  Reruns.  Bobby's all about them reruns.

Over and over again that guy could screw a pooch and surprise you with it each time he does it.  You never really know which Bobby Bourbon you're going to get out of something.  Whatever the Bastardly Father demands, I guess?  But hey, we definitely know Bobby's serious when he starts busting rhymes.

Spitting raps.

Nursery rhymes.

Has anyone ever told him that all of that shit talk would probably come out better if he just said it and didn't try to do whatever that was?  I mean, I understand words when they're spoken to me, but that was like watching a local appliance store commercial during February."

"Dude?"

"What?  He sounded like your redneck cousin 'Ryder' performing the original Ice Ice Baby on open mic night.  Bobby is so confident with his words that he performs them.  He's so proud that he's the self-proclaimed Sultan of Smack or something which is completely whack.  Bully-words and calling me…."

Tango pulled out his phone and played around with it for a second.  Atomic Bat leaned over and nodded.

"Hang on."

He scrolled some more.

"Ah!"

Tango pulled out a pair of readers and looked closely at his screen.

"The living figurative description of an entire blowjob."

He chuckled, removed his glasses, and placed his phone back in his utility belt.  He looked over to AB.

"See?  There's no way I was going to remember that, I had to make a note."

Tango stretched and tried out a couple of hero poses before facing the XWF drone again.

"On to a more serious note.  The ever, on-going battle within an empty tag team division.  Is everyone aware that the last two, maybe even three, teams that we've DECIMATED have said the same exact thing?

The division is dead.

You've faced no one.

Your fake champions.

Blah, blah, blah!  Man!

Again, you morons, I don't see anyone clawing at the door week in and week out to defend the titles against.  As dominating as we are, I think we were doing most of ya'll a favor by hanging out until we were called upon to defend.  I mean, we could've come out each and every week…  Let the top dawgs decide who we face by pairing us against Random Dude Number One against Random Dude Number Two.  Oh wait, that's what happens anyway and we leave several weeks between defenses.  Is there something we should be doing to attract some competition in this thing?  Because the job description I'm following is the same one I thought everyone else had and that's go out there and win.

I don't care how Bobby Bourbon or Mark Flynn rate our previous wins, either.  Beating nobody?  That was the competition everyone keeps yelping about, so make up your damn minds already.

Fight!

No!  Not them!

You suck!

Shut up, man…"

Tango took a deep breath, put his head down, and sighed.  Atomic Bat approached him, but he held up a hand.

"I'm good.  I'm good.  I just don't think this is going to be the answer, either, AB…  I think that after we beat Bobby Flynn, and show the XWF Universe that they too, in the right environment, are just a couple of scrubs, we're gonna be in the same boat.  It's like, Groundhog Day, man.  The same thing, over and over again.  Another team is going to get thrown together…  Have one match, IF THAT, and come after us thinking their the hottest thing since French bread and call us out for ONLY DEFENDING THE TITLE FOUR TIMES!  AND MARK FLYNN AND BOBBY BOURBON IS A CRAP DEFENSE CUZ THOSE TWO WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE TOGETHER BLAH!

I can hear it now!  And as much flack as you all give us for this?  We freaking agree!  Where is everyone?  Should we come to Warfare next week to get our Disintegrators title defense in?  That's like a rite of passage right?  We've already busted up the T.H.U.G.S.  Maybe we'll call up Mastermind, he's an evil genius right?  Let's take on all of his minions while we're at it.  Split them up then we can defend every show for six months!  How would that be Mark Flynn?  We'll take 'em to Anarchy, over to Madness, if Duke will have us, and hold open-challenges on Warfare.  What a change all that would make.

Riddle me this, kiddies.  When was the last time this awesome tag team division was thriving?  Was it when Them No Good Bastards held the championships?  When they were fighting the Dissentients over and over again and beating them?  Or maybe after all that when Mark Flynn and NK were champions.  Was the division at its peak then?  Were there more than the same three tag teams, not including US, as there are today?  We're all well aware that Mark Flynn had to be on every single airing of XWF programming there for a while and in doing so defended the titles….  but there's no medal for that is there?  I mean, talk up and chalk up your seventy defenses in fourteen days all you want, Mark Flynn, but how many of those really matter… RIGHT NOW?  To the current champs?  Like, uh….  Me?  I don't give a rat's ass in a tutu about any of that.  Track your wins, count the seconds between ring bells, and rack up how many hours between now and when I'm kicking your ass!"

"It would be like…  18."

"What?"

"18.  The show's tomorrow…  In like..  18 hours."

"Anyway.

Your talk is weak.  You talk out your asses.  And you don't know how to handle us.  We're conditioned for assholes like you and just because you're the first YOU to roll up on us, doesn't mean a thing.  We stay in practice.  We own up to what we hold.  We deliver on what we promise.  Bobby Bourbon and Mark Flynn…  Ya'll made the call, and we're here to answer.  Are YOU ready?  Do YOU have any idea what you're up against?

I don't think you are.  Like I said before, Mark Flynn has the capability of some good stuff, but at the same time he can be lured the wrong way with a piece of candy.  Bobby Bourbon has a lot of candy.

They've chosen to mock what keeps people safe, including them.  The fools.  They've chosen to not parody our work like Bobby Bourbon has done with a number of sitcoms already, but reboot it!  I'm not going to dive too deep into all that ticking shit bomb, but just make my point. 

Bobby Bourbon is a bastard and now that's all he knows.  His long, tenured career has him wearing a dress to the ring, by-choice right?, and flopping when the getting get's good.  In a cookie jar full of opportunities, Bobby Bourbon's big, fat hand just doesn't fit.  So he broke the cookie jar and mixed glass all through the cookies, but he didn't care and ate them anyway.  Now he has a bloody mouth.  He's like a freaking dog and now he's leading Mark Flynn by a leash into the world.  Bobby's entire career has turned into a parody and this episode is just that.  Bobby and Flynn and this reboot is just a parody of everything that Bobby has already done, only with a bit more sauce because an even worse talker in Thunder Knuckles isn't here.  That's the point of a reboot right?!  Make it better?  Unfortunately…  They hired the same actor that everyone hated from the first one so, hey, no one tell Mark Flynn, but I think his movie is going to flop.  You know it's all about the numbers right of the gate…  He's gonna lose.  His.  Mind."

Tango, wide-eyed, took a step back…  Giving the stage back to his partner.

“Together, you two are like a bad comedy duo, trying to relive your glory days. But here’s the thing: those days are over! The spotlight has shifted, and it’s on us now. Atomic Bat and Blue Tango, the reigning and defending XWF Tag Team Champions.”

“And Bobby’s whole thing with the dress. Pathetic. It’s like watching a desperate clown at a child’s birthday party, trying to get a laugh from an audience that’s moved on. You’ve reduced yourself to a parody, and not even a good one. Just a sad reminder of how far you’ve fallen. And that ‘Bastardly Father’ nonsense? Nothing like watching a man have a mid-life crisis in real-time, grappling for any shred of identity, no matter how absurd. You were a Universal Champion! You were once considered one of the best tag team wrestlers in the world. Not anymore. Not even with the lack of talent. You, yourselves pointed out how lacking our division is as far as a diverse talent pool is concerned. And even still, for either of you to get a shot, it took a potentially coked out of his mind, missing for months on end, Vinnie Lane to randomly decide that it’d be fun to pair you up. What does that say about either of you? It’s not like either of you have been especially busy on the singles circuit either. I wonder why? Seems to me that Mark Flynn and Bobby Bourbon should be the biggest names walking these halls, yet like snakes in the grass, they hide, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Well, you shouldn’t have taken this one, because you’ve already proven that you’re ill-prepared.”

Tango slid in beside the Atomic Bat and…

SUPERHERO POSES: ENGAGED!

"Mark Flynn and Bobby Bourbon, when you're walking away from this one empty handed…  I want you to tell us if THIS was a real defense, or if we're still just some mock champions holding the place for when a real team shows up.  Then, find another friend and get your butts to the end of the line."

After a night to remember…  A night of death, destruction, loss, and victory…  Our heroes stand above it all…  Waiting in the night for the next big, bad, thing to come their way.

I always forget to give William more credit than he is due.

He foresaw the potential for legal action, and made contact with a pair of attorneys that could assist us with Scapelli's lawsuit. Breach of contract and intimidation were the major concerns on the complaint, and while I wish I had a better understanding of legal matters when it came to business dealings, I only had so much free time.

So William and I set off for Saint Paul the very next day, leaving The Many Faces behind to watch over the vineyard. The pair worked out of a building off of Selby Avenue near Boyd Park; a lovely area that I rarely visited. We were greeted by the pair; Greg Agathon, a balding yet charismatic man in his fifties, and Charles Menander, a small wisp of a man that stammered quite a bit, but had a remarkable understanding of laws and precedent, according to William, anyhow. We sat in their office while Greg looked over the complaint. Charles, on the other hand, was looking through a legal book pertaining to contract law. "While I read through this," Greg said, his eyes not leaving the brief, "I'd like for you to tell me your side of this story. What led to the complaint being made and why is his story untrue. I'm listening."

"Well I'm in the process of constructing a tasting room for a vineyard I had planned on opening in the next year or two," I began. "We signed a contract with South Shore Construction to handle the building of the structure, aside from one window which I contracted out separate. We had a minor issue early on in the negotiation stage, but otherwise our two camps were amicable. Then, a few weeks ago, I was contacted by my partner here," I paused, gesturing to William, "That I needed to return to the vineyard. He was already assessing the damage when I had arrived. The first floor had been completed, but the windows were destroyed, the remaining lumber was cut through, wet, and otherwise rendered useless, and there was a sludge coming out of the piping. We later discovered more damages from the incident, which is in the inspection report William is holding. I drove over to Scapelli's office to discuss the matter. The conversation did not go well, and it resulted in me threatening legal action. As I was leaving, he tried to slam me into the door, but he kind of just...bounced off of me. I didn't even bother to check on him; I left immediately, not wanting to get mixed up in his business further. His own subpoena came days later, which brings us up to now."

Greg simply nodded as he continued reading the document. "Interesting way to handle the situation," chimed in Charles, "Though I suppose a man of your stature wouldn't be so easily intimidated by a rogue like Scapelli."

I turned to face Charles. "...A rogue?" I asked.

"Don't worry about him," Greg interjected. "Sometimes he talks like he's from the renaissance. Its just his nerves."

"Well you didn't have to be so forward about it," Charles replied snidely. His expression was hurt, like Greg had just swatted an ice cream cone out of his hands.

"I forget, how do you two know each other?" William asked.

"Greg is my brother-in-law. Or was, rather. Death, not divorce," Charles answered. "We had been close before his marriage to my sister, but since her passing we only-"

"Charles, I don't think they're interested in hearing about our personal life," Greg interrupted. 

"Another time, then," Charles replied, returning to his book.

He set the document down as I was turning to face him again. "So you assessed the damages yourself, went over to South Shore Construction to tell him about it, he assaulted you as you're leaving, then he sends you this complaint. It doesn't sound like he has much on you, but let me ask you a few more questions before I give you my plan." He leaned in closer. "Why did you go to Scapelli's office in the first place?"

It was a pointed question, and thinking back to that day one phrase did come to mind. "I...believe I mentioned at one point that I wanted to do harm to him, but was holding myself back."

"Tsk tsk," Charles said clicking his tongue. "Never give them an opportunity to discredit your argument."

"Agreed," Greg said. "That being said, your emotional state at the time could be deemed understandable. And the fact you were willingly showing restraint means that any footage they could show would render his intimidation charge as moot. In other words, it is potentially damaging should this reach a trial, but given the circumstances we can work an angle with this."

Greg nodded. "I believe we can file countersuit for breach of contract, and should his assault come to light, we could leverage that into a charge against him. William here did give me some instruction prior to our meeting, which Charles happily took on."

"Indeed," Charles said. "I took the liberty of filing the restraining order on behalf of Berget Vineyards. Do you have security for the site? We will want to prevent any further damage and to preserve the crime scene."

"That's actually another good question," Greg interrupted. "Who was responsible for securing the site?"

I turned to look at William, who simply shrugged. "When we signed the contract, both parties decided that it would not be necessary, since the vineyard was out of the way enough."

"Hmm..." Greg thought aloud. "Well that could also be a point against us."

"However," Charles added, "It is typically the responsibility of the construction company to secure their own site, unless stated otherwise in the contract. Since it would theoretically be their supplies that are damaged, if they didn't come to any agreement, then security would naturally default to Scapelli."

Greg smiled, gesturing to Charles. "You see why I like having him around?" He asked jokingly.

Greg nodded with a sly smile. "I think you have a solid case. We'll need to gather more evidence to secure an opportunity to settle. Odds are they will, but should they push for a trial, I think we have a fighting chance. It would ultimately depend on how good their team is."

"Very good. I believe William has mentioned this before," I added, "But with my current work schedule I would prefer if you made William the primary contact for any updates. Feel free to include me on any email correspondence; I'd prefer to be kept in the loop even if I'm not around to help out."

"Traveling around the country, I take it?" Greg asked.